Extension of road tax on November ballot

By Lindsay Street

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Berkeley County voters will decide if they want to renew the county’s one-cent sales transportation tax this November.

County Council gave a final nod to the referendum during a special meeting Monday. All members voted in favor of the referendum, except for Councilman Steve Davis, who was absent. Davis has voted in favor of the first two readings.

The current roads tax will expire in 2015.

Renewal of the penny sales-tax referendum will appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. County Council has hinged removal of its transportation impact fees on passage of the referendum.

Earlier this year, Berkeley County’s legislative delegation successfully helped push for a new state law to allow an early extension of the seven-year penny sales tax.

Under old law, the county could not seek renewal until after the tax expired in 2015, potentially losing millions in revenues while it waited for voter approval. But now, the county does not have to wait for the tax to lapse before asking voters to renew it.

The county needed to add the referendum to the ballot before noon Friday to make the November ballot.

Here is the list of roads capacity projects for the one-cent sales tax extension:

• Henry Brown Boulevard extension, phase 2 (Goose Creek)

• Clements Ferry Road widening, phase 2

• U.S. 52 and U.S. 176 interchange (Goose Creek)

• U.S. 176 widening (Goose Creek)

• Sheep Island interchange and I-26 widening (Summerville)

• Nexton Parkway

• Jedburg Road interchange (Summerville)

• Railroad Avenue extension (Hanahan)

• Sheep Island Parkway South (Summerville)

• Redbank Road widening (Goose Creek)

Here is the list of major resurfacing projects:

• S.C. 45

• Black Tom Road

• S.C. 402

• Old Highway 52 (Goose Creek)

• Hoodtown Road (Bonneau)

• Dr. Evans Road (Moncks Corner)

• S.C. 6 (Main Street, Moncks Corner)

And, here is the list of intersection improvements:

• Daniel Island Drive and Seven Farms Drive

• Royle Road and Sangaree Parkway (Sangaree)

• Foster Creek Road and Tanner Ford Boulevard (Hanahan)

• Murray Drive and Yeamans Hall Road (Hanahan)

In a last minute amendment, Councilman Tim Callanan successfully added unspecified transportation enhancements to the list of projects. The enhancements will include pedestrian and bicycle pathways.

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